Pompei

Pompei was the next reason for me wanting to stay in the area around Naples. I have always wanted to see the site but was blown away by the actual area it encompasses. We, however, made 3 pivotal mistakes. Firstly, despite the site being open until 7 p.m., we booked an audio guide that had to be returned by 5. We had things to do in the morning and so didn't make it to Pompei until 2pm, I had not considered the fact that audio guide would close before the site but it heavily impacted how long we could stay inside. Secondly, Stef recommended that I try a fried pizza while near Naples, and when we found somewhere that sold them, we grabbed one each. The main issue that arose from this was the incredible size and quantity of grease that came with it. Quite literally the last thing you would want before walking around Pompei in midday heat. Despite being very good, the timing was horrible. The third mistake was not checking the map before we started to walk around. Although I knew we would be restricted by time, I underestimated the size of the site and figured we could get through it all in 3 hours. In the end, we spent probably an hour in the just the houses part of the city and realised the monuments on the other side would be considerably more interesting, but even the trek to the other side of the site took ages. We then had to rush through the amphitheatres and collosseums, but we did end up seeing everything we wanted. A bit of extra time at these final sites would have been nice, but by the end of it, I think Jack had pretty much had enough anyway. Overall, I am very glad we went, but a bit of better planning probably could have made the experience a bit better. The audio guide wasn't as effective as I had hoped either, as it was difficult to understand what they were referring to when discussing different aspects of each area. Not to mention, they kept saying we should walk through different areas of the site that we did not have access to. I'm not sure if we had come on the wrong day where most things were shut or if they simply only open small sections at a time. Either way, it did slightly take away from the experience as we could only listen to what was inside and try and match with different things that we likely couldn't even see. It is difficult to comprehend how well preserved this site is given the age. Especially given the size, you could see how functional and effective it must have been running at one time. The site was breathtaking, and I hope to return one day and do it on a proper tour. Although we had these as options, they cheap ones only went for 2 hours, and I feel as though they would overlook some aspects that would be interesting. Next time, I will get a proper tour that isn't rushed.

By the end of this, we were beat and ready to head to bed, so we caught the train back and did exactly that.Read more